Channel Islands Monitoring Inventory

The monitoring projects in the following inventory take place in or around Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Projects are conducted by either Sanctuary staff or by our partners. Summary information is presented for each.

Population Studies

Describe pinniped population biology at San Miguel and San Nicholas Islands.

Aerial Monitoring of Pinnipeds

Lead

Mark Lowry (Southwest Fisheries Science Center)

Objective

Monitor pinniped populations within the Channel Islands, the state of California, and the western United States.

Photo Identification of Humpback and Blue Whales

Lead

John Calambokidis (Cascadia Research)

Objective

Assess the abundance, trends, movement patterns and stock structure of humpback and blue whales in the eastern North Pacific; examine the underwater behavior of whales; examine aspects of human impact on whales.

Sanctuary Aerial Monitoring Spatial Analysis Program

Lead

Ben Waltenberger (Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary)

Objective

Map mammal and vessel distributions and provide emergency response.

Multi-Agency Rocky Intertidal Network (MARINe)

MARINe monitors sites along the Pacific Coast using two different approaches: target assemblage monitoring (Core Monitoring) which is done biannually at 80 locations in California and Oregon, and biodiversity community sampling (Biodiversity Monitoring) which is done over a broader area (91 locations from Alaska to Mexico) but less often.

Tagging of Pacific Pelagics (TOPP)

Use archiving tags to track pelagic nekton and birds in the North Pacific to learn how they use the ocean environment. Species studied include white sharks, leatherback sea turtles, black-footed albatross, sooty shearwaters, and elephant seals.

Partnership for the Interdisciplinary Study of Coastal Oceans (PISCO)

Lead

Jennifer Caselle (University of California Santa Barbara)

Objective

Conduct experimental studies and long-term monitoring projects on west coast nearshore ecosystems, with emphasis on conservation, management, and public outreach.

Document species caught in traps and assess movement patterns (scales of movement) at multiple scales for target. Correlate movement with features of habitat and fish density, and assess movement rates over reserve boundary.

Remote Sensing of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary

Lead

Ben Waltenberger (Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary)

Objective

Collect aerial and orbital imagery of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary as well as remotely operated vehicle (ROV) data.

CSU Monterey Bay - Seafloor Mapping Lab

Lead

Dr. Rikk Kvitek (California State University-Monterey Bay)

Objective

The Seafloor Mapping Lab within the Division of Science and Environmental Policy at California State University Monterey Bay specializes in high-resolution acoustic remote sensing for coastal habitats.